Petition to Bangladesh Prime Minister

From 
Faith Freedom Foundation

and 

Mukto Mona Group 

The following petition was sentto the honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Begum Khaleda Zia. People irrespective of their nationality, religious and political affiliation have signed the petition. We have kept the personal information of the signatories confidential and not showed them in the petition as par request of the signatories.

We would like to draw your attention on the recent reports of Amnesty International on the attacks on the Hindu community and the arrest of the journalist, Shahriar Kabir.

http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/Index/ASA130062001?OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIES\BANGLADESH

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/3600

Our goal for this petition was to voice our protest on behalf of Mukto-mona (discussion forum) and FFF (Faith Freedom Foundation) against the ongoing crimes being committed against the weaker religious and ethnic section and women in Bangladesh and the recent imprisonment of Shahriar Kabir. We, sincerely, hope that the Government of Bangladesh will take appropriate action immediately.

Thanking you.

==============================================================

Her Excellency Khaleda Zia
Prime Minister, People's Republic of Bangladesh
Office of the Prime Minister
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Via facsimile: 011-88-02-811-3244

Your Excellency:

We, the members of 'Mukto-mona' - a discussion forum having about three hundred members who encourage rationalism, humanism and free thinking over the Net and we, the members of Faith Freedom Foundation (FFF), a non political organization for promoting freedom of expression, thought, belief, scientific inquiry, artistic creativity, moral choice, freedom of conscience and religion, wish to express our deep concern at the recent spate of atrocities committed against weaker religious and ethnic section and women in Bangladesh. From the same perspective of the rights of and the safety of common civilians, we are also deeply disturbed by the recent imprisonment and prosecution of Shahriar Kabir, a valiant freedom fighter and well-known journalist, author and human rights activist.

We urge you and your government to acknowledge practically and to show appreciation of the human and civil rights of its religious and other weaker groups, including women. We call upon your government to provide protection for the lives and properties of all citizens irrespective of their religious beliefs, ethnic origin, and sex. The state must treat all citizens equally irrespective of their religious, cultural, linguistic and ethnic affiliation.  Because we believe that concept of discrimination between so-called "Majority and "Minority" is deterrent to human progress on the planet, we therefore call upon the global community and all states of the world to do away with this concept of discrimination.

Mukto-mona and Faith Freedom Foundation consider the arrest of Mr. Shariar Kabir by the Special Branch in 'Gestapo style' at Zia International Airport (Dhaka), treatments he has received from the police, and his detention at Dhaka Central jail by the special power act, and charges of anti state activities- all constitute a gross violation of human rights and freedom of movement. Since the formal charges of sedition against Mr. Kabir formulated by the police appear to us politically motivated, we on this August Day of human rights, urge you, Honorable Prime Minister to drop all charges against him and release him immediately.

Yours truly,

Mr. Ibn Warraq
Dr. Ali Sina
Ms. Taslima Nasrin
Mr. Fatemolla
Prof. Ajoy K. Roy
Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah
Mr. Abul Kasem
Mr. Anwar Jamal
Mr. Syed Kamran Mirza
Mr. Hashan Chowdhury
Mr. Ray Jahed Akash
Mr. Shabbir Ahmed
Mr. Jamal Hasan
Mr. Eshon Waheed
Ms. Shabnam Nadiya
Mr. Mohammad Nawaz Khan
Mr. Habib Sarwar
Mr. Adnan Khalid
Ms. Susan Stephan
Dr. Audrey Manning 
Dr. Kausik Sen
Mr. Avijit Roy
Mr. Sandip Dasverma
Mr. Manab Ghosh
Mr. Bishnu Dey
Mr. Sanal Edamaruku
Mr. Amitananda Das
Mr. A.D.H.  Kiran
Mr. Alan Levin
Mr. Ajab Ali
Mr. Alamgir Hussain
Mr. Aman Uddowla
Mr. Aman Ullah
Mr. Amil Tabatabai 
Mr. Amir Hussain
Mr. Anwarul Azim
Mr. Satya Shandhani
Mr. Anwar Iqbal
Mr. Asif Saleh
Mr. S. M. Aslam
Mr. A. Hoque
Ms. Bayyina Abdullah
Mr. Santanu Nandy
Mr. Belal Beg
Mr. Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya
Mr. Bijoy Bhushon Mondol
Ms. Kabita Rani Saha
Mr. Biswarup Dasgupta
Mr. Samuel Sarcar
Mr. Bakhtiar Qayyum
Mr. Butcher
Mr. Chandra Mohan
Mr. Ameen Hasan 
Mr. Anutosh Chakrabarty
Ms. Mina Farah
Mr. Dhiren
Mr. Dhrubojoti
Ms. Eeshita Azad
Mr. Mohammad Fazlul Kabir
Mr. Mirza Chowdhury 
Mr. Farrukh Ahmed
Mr. Hasan Ferdous
Mr. Sadiqi Az-Zindiki 
Mr. Mani
Mr. G.Subramaniam
Mr. Habib Sarwar
Ms. Sherry Holmes
Mr. Hasan Mamun
Ms. hzachary
Mr. Ibnul Haque
Mr. Reginald V. Finley 
Ms. Nadia Islam
Mr. Javacrucian
Mr. J. Browne
Ms. Julie M.
Mr. Khurshed Ahmed Chowdhury 
Mr. Alam Khorshed
Ms. Kanta Mitro
Mr. Kousik Nandy
Ms. Karina
Ms. Lina al Gay
Ms. Sabina Chowdhury
Ms. Lopa Tasneem
Mr. Bulbul Amir
Mr. Manish Paul
Mr. Shashi Aggarwal
Mr. Ashraful Alam
Mr. Bikash Mandal
Ms. Gitte Højland
Ms. R.Kamis
Mr. Muhammad Nabipalsu
Mr. Narayan Gupta
Ms. Nasima Khatun
Mr. Naved Ahmed
Mr. Neelu Hasnat
Mr. New Age Outlaws
Ms. Nishaat
Dr.  Nirmal Mishra
Mr. Zakaria S. Khondkar 
Ms. Mukul Zaman.
Mr. Paritam Kumar Datta
Mr. Philosopher Knight 
Ms. Zakia Sultana
Mr. Raman
Ms. Padma Raman
Mr. Ronie Chowdhury
Mr. Rashedul Chowdhury
Mr. Roy Brown
Ms. Rubaiya Ahmed
Mr. Ryan American
Mr. Rykel Lim
Ms. Sabrina Ahmed
Ms. Shaila Nasmun Nahar
Mr. Mahbubul (Sohel) Karim
Ms. Mitra Jafary
Mr. Subir Kumar Saha
Mr. Soumitra Bose
Mr. Suhash Sarkar
Ms. Titli Sardar
Mr. Tanvir Chowdhury
Mr. Andrew Sullivan
Mr. Utsav Chakrabarti
Mr. Sumel
Mr. Mrityunjoy Chatterjee
Mr. J. Kirishnamurti
Mr. Aparthib Zaman
Mr. Vivek L. Dev
Ms. Simin Hariri
Ms. Marianne Eriksen
Mr. Shamim Huq
Mr. Ruhul Ahmed
Mr. Masud Khan
Mr. Ferdinand Pereira
Mr. S. Ashraf Ahmed
Mr. Saleem R. Noor
Ms. Azam Kamguian
Mr. Mohammad Zaman
Mr. Shami Hussain
Mr. Shiraj Uddin Shopon
Mr. Asif Iqbal
Mr. Roy Parks
Mr. Anisur Rahman
Mr. Rahul Gupta
Ms. Susmita Gupta
Dr. Hrishikesh Chakrabarti
Ms. Taniya Hossain
Mr. Syed N. Wadood
Mr. S. A. Montu.
Ms. Rita Lindemann
Mr. Gururaj Deshpande
Mr. Abul Azad
Ms. Sharon R. Cozzolino
Mr. Aporanho Shushmito
Mr. Harsh Kapoor
Mr. Atul Kshirsagar
Mr.Nazmul Ahsan
Mr. Robin Khundkar
Mr. Harry
Mr. Mustafa Jamil

On behalf of Mukto-mona ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona  )
and Faith Freedom Foundation ( http://www.faithfreedom.org )